The Catholic Church in the state of Guerrero does not perform marriages between minors; the minimum age for marriage is 18, as was recently the case in the community of San Pedro Cuitlapan in the municipality of Tlacochistlahuaca.
In an interview, Priest José Filiberto Velázquez Florencio confirmed that Canon Law establishes that the minimum age for marriage is 16 for men and 14 for women.
However, currently, in Mexico—including the state of Guerrero—the minimum legal age for marriage is 18 for both sexes.
Therefore, like municipal or state civil registries, priests of the Catholic Church cannot officiate marriages between minors, as was recently the case in the municipality of Tlacoachistlahuaca.
Furthermore, one of the requirements the Church requires of couples wishing to enter into a church marriage is that they first have a civil marriage certificate.
Likewise, there may be sanctions for priests who perform child marriages, as they must be authorized by the Bishop of each state.
Despite being prohibited, another child marriage is being performed.
Over the weekend, a marriage between minors in the town of San Pedro Cuitlapa, municipality of Tlacoachistlahuaca, was exposed through social media.
In the state’s case, in an interview with this media outlet, the head of the Technical Coordination of the State Civil Registry System, Roberto Barreto Bohórquez, clarified that under no circumstances is marriage between minors permitted.
Therefore, as in the case of the Church, there would be sanctions for those who allow it. Over the weekend, another alleged marriage between two minors under 12 years of age was reported, which generated various negative responses.
In response to this, the Guerrero Human Rights Commission and the Morena party, through the local Congress, have taken a stand to prevent the promotion of these acts that violate the rights of children.
“Father Fili” also emphasized that, although the Catholic Church prohibits the marriage of minors, other religions are practiced in different regions of the state, and in some cases, unions can be performed by community authorities.
Source: oem
